This September, me and my beautiful mum Debbie visited Leicester for a couple of days to go see ‘Grease the Musical’ at the Curve theatre. Please continue reading / viewing for a description of our travels, with accompanying photography. Hope you enjoy 🙂 🙂

Monday 9th September 2019

We arrived in Leicester lunch time on the Monday. After checking in to our Ibis hotel, situated very conveniently close to the train station, we went to explore Leicester and all it has to offer.

We started off with a cheeky Nando’s 😛 We then walked leisurely around the city centre, capturing nice photos in Town Hall square (by the fountain), Leicester market and outside the former Corn Exchange, now a Wetherspoon pub. Next, we made our way to Leicester Cathedral, home to the “resting place of King Richard III”. It was fantastic seeing the tomb, designed by architects Heningen and Haward, and learning the story of the Battle of Bosworth Fields and King Richard III’s bloody demise; we also became more knowledgeable of the timeline of the Greyfriars Dig. We then sauntered down The Lanes quaint cobbled streets, window shopping, and indulged in frothy milkshakes and delicious carrot cake, yum yum. Past Pares’s Bank “the most elegant bank in Leicester” – we then wandered around Highcross shopping centre, admiring new Autumn collection clothing just arriving in stock. Situated outside the shopping centre we gazed up at the Haymarket Memorial Clock Tower, a major landmark in Leicester – a slow lazy stroll back to our hotel and finishing the day off with a beaut a slap up meal at the Ibis restaurant, chicken skewers for me, nice.

Tuesday 10th September 2019

We woke up lovely and fresh the next morning, and ate a scrumptious full English as well as continental (greedy!) breakfast, to fuel us for the long day ahead. With a cool breeze gusting through the air in Leicester, we walked briskly past the train station (Thomas Cook statue selfie!), with map in hand, on our way to our first destination, the New Walk Museum and Art Gallery.

The New Walk Museum and Art Gallery was fantastic! Downstairs we explored the ‘Wild Space’ exhibition with a vast array of taxidermy animals on display, learnt the story behind the King Richard III portrait, enjoyed the Victorian gallery, were immensely awestruck by Picasso’s ceramics (no photos allowed in Picasso gallery, boo!) and very impressed indeed by the ginormous dinosaur fossil skeleton models. Upstairs, we loved seeing “Leicester’s internationally renowned collection of German Expressionism”, arts and crafts dainty pottery and ornamental pieces from around the world, as well as the amazing Ancient Egypt gallery, exhibiting mummies and explaining the mummification process of Ancient times! Incredibly interesting.

We then hopped on a bus at Haymarket bus station to go visit Leicester’s National Space Centre. It was incredible! Firstly, we were astonished by the Sir Patrick Moore Planetarium; stargazing upwards at galaxies and night-sky constellations projected on the amazing dome ceiling, creating the illusion of travelling through space, absolutely superb. Afterwards, we navigated our way through a range of brilliant interactive galleries the National Space Centre has to offer, exploring and learning about; planets and moons, our solar system, the galaxy, the universe – rockets, spacesuits, astronauts, asteroids, the mystery of black holes, you name it.  What a great journey!

On Tuesday evening we moseyed excitedly down to Curve theatre, with great anticipation of watching ‘Grease – the musical’ – with Peter Andre making a cameo appearance as ‘Teen Angel’! I must say, we found that the theatrical production of Grease differed from the 1978 classic romance Hollywood film starring Olivia Newton John and John Travolta, as the Guardian aptly critiqued the show puts the “grit back in Grease”; as the director of this stage adaptation, Nikolai Foster, worked closely from the early 70s original script, focusing more than ever in places on the visceral feelings of the characters as they struggle through the tribulations of adolescence and high school life, growing up in 1950s America. That’s not however to say it wasn’t also like the Grease we all know and love; fun, lighthearted – petticoats, vinyl records, drive-ins and diners, rock’n’roll, high heels and candy floss (girls) hair and of course greasy (boys) hair! It delighted us with familiar songs ‘You’re the one that I want’, ‘Summer nights’, ‘Greased Lightenin’, as well as new numbers such as ‘Freddy my love’ and ‘Tattoo song’. Of course, it was so special having the opportunity to see Peter Andre live on stage with his guest appearance; the audience went wild with wolf whistles as he descended the glittery staircase in the second half! In conclusion, Grease was fresh, flirty and fab! There was a well deserved standing ovation at the end of the performance! Everyone up singing and dancing! Electrifyin’!

I really cherish all the time me and mum spend together. I’m so happy that we yet again enjoyed such a wonderful theatre city break, making amazing memories 🙂 🙂

Thank you so much for reading / viewing. Do keep a look out for new blog posts coming soon!

Much love, Lauren xx

 

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© 2019 Lauren Parr / http://www.unicornpostbox.wordpress.com

 

Further reading / information:

https://greasethemusicalontour.com/ [Accessed 21st September 2019]

https://leicestercathedral.org/ [Accessed 17th September 2019]

https://www.leicester.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/museums-and-galleries/museums-and-historic-venues/new-walk-museum-and-art-gallery/ [Accessed 20th September 2019]

https://spacecentre.co.uk/ [Accessed 20th September 2019]

https://www.storyofleicester.info/a-working-town/paress-bank/ [Accessed 17th September 2019]

https://www.visitleicester.info/ [Accessed 17th September 2019]

https://www.visitleicester.info/see-and-do/new-walk-museum-and-art-gallery-p700961 [Accessed 20th September 2019]